Make a Right at the Cow
by wolfgirl2001
Summary: Lindsay's adventures visiting Barry at college in Wisconsin.
1. Introduction

Author's Note: So….I feel the need to preface this story with a bit of background info. First of all, I'm writing this now because I only recently watched the entire season of Freaks and Geeks (also, because I needed to take a quick break from THG). What a phenomenal show! Few shows have made me feel the same range of emotions- sadness, anger, mortification, romance, humor- in such a short amount of time. F&G truly has it all.

Anyway, one of my favorite episodes was "Noshing and Moshing" because I was really intrigued by Barry Schweiber, Neal's older brother who had come home from college, and Lindsay's relationship with him. That is the basis for this little story.

I realize that a lot of people probably didn't like their flirtation, that some people thought it was creepy that a sophomore in college would be kissing a high school student. I would argue though that they obviously knew each other fairly well from before and liked each other to some extent- you could tell by her reaction to seeing him in the hallway of McKinley. And really, the age difference is, what, three years? In the grand scheme of things, that's not much. But mostly I am guessing people just wanted Lindsay to end up with Nick. I thought Nick was as sweet as anyone else, but I can understand Lindsay's plight after seeing the note that Nick couldn't "wate" to see her. She was way too driven and smart for him! Anyway, even the brief conversation she had with Barry seemed to challenge her more intellectually, and it didn't hurt that Barry was funny, cute, and nice. Seemed like they shared a pretty great kiss, too.

So this story is about Lindsay taking him up on his offer and deciding to visit Barry at college one weekend the next fall. After writing for a while, I realized that this story had a fatal flaw- if Lindsay was visiting Barry the fall of her senior year, than he would have been a junior (I'm assuming that since 'Noshing and Moshing' was pretty far into the season/school year he was a sophomore at the time having graduated from McKinley 'two years ago'). But I accidentally wrote him as a sophomore….whoops! I didn't change it because too much would have been different (i.e. where he lived, who he lived with, etc.), and I was lazy. Hope you enjoy the story anyway J

It would be a one-shot except that in my mind there are a couple of different ways the story plays out. So there's a general introduction, and there will be three distinct chapters, each which represent a different way the story goes depending on who Barry turns out to be. Here goes….

Introduction

_You're going to come visit me, right?_

Lindsay smiled to herself and gripped the steering wheel a little bit tighter, remembering the earnest look in Barry's eyes when he asked her that. It felt like forever ago.

She had been on the road for almost five hours now. Since it was a Saturday, she was fortunate to not hit any major traffic going around Chicago- though she wondered if she would be eating her words on her return trip tomorrow night.

As she tried to suppress her anticipation over seeing Barry again until she was much closer to the University of Wisconsin, she found herself thinking about some things.

Like how thankful she was to be making the trip at all. Truthfully, she was kind of amazed that she had managed to convince her parents to 1) borrow their car, 2) drive it over six hours to Madison, and 3) stay at the college overnight- particularly after she had lied to them about going to the Academic Summit. But maybe her parents had figured that she had served her time.

Summer had been awful. It didn't take her parents long to realize that Lindsay wasn't where she said she was- and she had been grounded the instant she got back (and worse, she knew it was coming, which really made the whole drive home akin to a death march). It was the grounding after borrowing her parents' car and wrecking it, times about a hundred. Since school was out, there wasn't much that she had to do anyway, but so much more that she _wanted_ to do. Though it only took about two days for her to realize that being grounded in her room was no way to spend a summer- it was like just sitting there in detention. She'd rather be studying.

She knew her high grades could be handy for something. So she decided to put them to good use, presumably what her parents were thinking when they tried to force her to go to the Academic Summit in the first place. She was able enroll in calculus at the local community college, having done well in trigonometry last year. She could tell her parents were thrilled with her choice to take a college course but didn't want her to know it, so they only agreed to pay the tuition with the caveat that Lindsay work to pay them back. When she wasn't in class, Lindsay spent most of the rest of the summer in her Dad's store (at minimum wage, with what little money she did make going straight into her Dad's pocket). She stocked merchandise on occasion but more frequently dealt with customers. Since the mega-chain had opened up in the local mall less than a mile away, A1 Sporting Goods had slowed down a little as of late- so while it wasn't so good for her father's business, at least she was able to get some studying done. And being grounded, it's not as though she couldn't quietly study in her room every evening. She was miserable but at least she ended up acing the course.

Showing her parents her first college 'A' had loosened them up just a teeny bit- but by then it was almost the end of summer anyway.

She thought about how starting school again felt really weird after last year. Daniel was still around, having flunked Algebra, and of course Kim and just about everyone else were there. There was only one notable exception, a guy whose absence was perhaps the most conspicuous, and not just because he was one of the tallest guys in school.

Nick.

As it turned out, deciding not to smoke pot anymore wasn't enough, not if school was about to come to an end anyway. Quitting couldn't retroactively make Nick's awful grades better. So his father held true to his promise to make him join the military. Nick was in Texas somewhere with the 5th Infantry Division of the US Army the last that Lindsay had heard.

As busy (and as grounded) as she had been over the summer, Lindsay had missed Nick's last days in Chippewa. Honestly, that was probably a good thing. Nick and Sara were still going out, although Sara was going to college so who knew if it was going to last. The two of them dating wasn't even the hardest part for Lindsay to stomach- because having a girlfriend seemed to make Nick happy, Lindsay was happy for him, no matter what it did to her. But if he still felt the same way about the military now than he did that day he tried out for Dimension (and there's no reason to think that he wouldn't), than she couldn't have said goodbye to him and seen the defeated look in his eyes as he got ready to ship out. It would have torn her apart.

Lindsay probably would have just moped over Nick's leaving if Barry hadn't called her the next week.

She hadn't seen Barry since the Schweiber party where they had kissed- he hadn't come home for the summer. She had heard from Sam who had heard from Neal that he had a lot of week-long internships at school or something. It sounded like he was going to be following around a bunch of different people. According to Neal's parents Barry still hadn't selected a major and he was determined to choose something before the fall semester so that he could enroll in the right courses. Not that she was trying to pester Sam too much about it, of course. Sam had heard that she and Barry kissed through Neal and teased her mercilessly about it (but only when Neal wasn't around). When she asked Sam how Neal felt about it, he just shrugged his shoulders and told her that Neal would survive.

So when Barry had called her that first week in September, right after school had started, it was just what she needed to keep from dwelling over Nick. She and Barry spoke on the phone for hours, talking about anything and everything, and there was no sense in denying that the connection she felt the last time he was in town was still there. Something had just _changed_ since they were both at McKinley back when she was a freshman and he was a senior.

As much as she enjoyed the conversation, when they got off the phone Lindsay wasn't sure if or when she might hear from Barry again (just like she felt when she left the Schweiber party). So when the phone rang the next Saturday night around midnight, she suspected it was probably Kim or Daniel calling so late, and Lindsay quickly picked up the phone to answer it before anyone else in her family did. It nearly floored her when she heard Barry's voice on the other end of the line. He had obviously been drinking.

"I still can't stop thinking about that kiss," he said, with just a bit of a slur in his voice. "You gotta come and see me at college," he said again, echoing his sentiments from the Schweiber party. He proceeded to drunkenly mumble "I'm sorry, I just had to tell you that, I'd better go," and hang up the phone.

Not the most romantic of conversations, but truthfully she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss either. And since their amazing phone conversation from before, she really did want to see him again. Her brain started hatching a plan.

She was a senior now, after all. She was supposed to be researching colleges already, and despite feeling more energized about her college future after taking calc (she could now potentially take the calculus AP exam prior to application deadlines), she still hadn't set foot on a University campus and didn't have the faintest idea of where she wanted to go. _Maybe a trip to the University of Wisconsin could really help her figure things out with school_, she rationalized to herself, _and if she just so happened to see Barry there, well, there would be no harm in that, would there?_

Of course, she couldn't say that to her parents. Her parents loved Barry, just like they loved Neal, but ever since the Schweiber party it was probably pretty evident that her parents wouldn't buy the whole 'he's just Neal's older brother and of course there isn't anything going on' bit. So she had to do some searching, some remembering. Who else did she know that had gone to Wisconsin for school? She could only think of Jessica Farmington, who was a year older than her and who was an acquaintance at best. But of course all of that was irrelevant if she could convince her parents that it was Jessica with whom she was staying.

When she pitched the idea to her parents, however, they seemed much more intent on questioning what else she was going to see on campus. Lindsay got the impression that they were much more concerned as to whether she actually intended to go to the University of Wisconsin than who she planned to stay with when she got there. They asked, of course, but when she mentioned Jessica, they didn't seem to care about following up- and they both managed to forget that Barry was there, thank God. She reassured them by promising to bring back a lot of information from the school that they could peruse, sort of as a means to prove that she was actually there. They even seemed excited that she was taking an interest in visiting colleges herself.

She decided to call Barry back and let him know that she hoped to be making a visit, and soon if possible. She chose to call on a Wednesday afternoon, and though no one was there, she left a message on their machine to have Barry call her back that night.

Lindsay felt jittery as she waited for his call. What if he didn't even remember that he told her he wanted to see her again? Maybe suggesting she visit him wasn't such a good idea after all. But when the phone rang and she answered, and she heard his voice on the other end of the line, she knew it would be all right.

"Hey Lindsay," he said, in his deep, raspy voice that she had always found really attractive, "how's it going? To what do I owe the pleasure? And if there's no reason at all, even better." She could almost hear him grinning.

"Actually, there is a reason," she stammered, relieved at his tone, but still a little nervous. She quickly looked both ways to make sure that her parents were out of earshot. "I was thinking that I, um, wanted to come and visit you up there. Take you up on your offer from before."

"Visit _me_?" his voice was a little incredulous. He coughed quickly. "Yeah. Hell yeah. Definitely. When were you thinking?"

"Um- next weekend?" she made sure to make it sound like a question. She could arrange another time, after all.

"Perfect, the sooner the better," was his reply. He coughed again, and then cleared his throat. He hesitated. "So- um- do you have a place to stay? Or did you want to stay with me?"

Talk about a loaded question. "I'm not sure," she replied. "I know someone- you remember Julie Farmington? I don't know her number, but I could probably get a hold of her and stay there if I had to. I….we could….play it by ear," she managed to get out. She wasn't sure what the implication would be if told Barry she would be happy staying with him. She wasn't ready to have sex with Barry anytime soon, and she didn't want him to assume that she was. But then again, he knew her pretty well, didn't he? Hopefully he wouldn't automatically jump to that conclusion. Sleeping in the same dorm room didn't necessarily mean that anything else had to happen, right?

"Playing it by ear sounds great," he quickly responded. "Just to clarify- I would love to have you stay here with me. But- I'm not making any presumptions about anything," he quickly added, putting her fears to rest, at least for the moment. "I can look up Julie's number here and get it for you. And we can see how it goes, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

That was a week ago, and now here she was, close to Madison, and she still had no ideas of what was going to happen tonight. Barry had given her the address of his dorm that night on the phone, told her he was excited to see her, and said that he probably wasn't going to have time to talk again. He said he was going to have to study his butt off because he had in fact chosen pre-law and had a ton of work to do if he wanted to make sure that he could take the whole time she was there off to enjoy her visit. She had given him a quick call from a pay phone at the gas station shortly after getting on the road today, but it was just to tell him that she was on her way and give him an ETA. All he did was reply that he couldn't wait to see her.

As she approached the outskirts of Madison, she had to laugh. _My dorm is right next to a field of cows._ _Make a right at the cow, and there I'll be._ Unfortunately, his initial directions hadn't narrowed things down too much. There were so many cows that Lindsay could have turned anywhere. Thankfully, his later directions had honed in on the correct road to take. Lindsay carefully followed the last several steps of the directions she had written out and pulled up to a parking lot near Barry's dorm around 5 p.m. Grabbing her duffel bag and locking her parents' car, she walked into Sellery Hall to find his room.

Knocking on the door, Lindsay's heart sped up. She thought to herself, _this should be a fun night_.


	2. Version 1- Asses and Glasses

Author's note: Just wanted to quickly mention that these three chapters all start out very similarly (I used the same original text), but do branch in different directions eventually. I decided to post them all together for this reason. Thanks and enjoy!

Asses and Glasses

The door opened, and Barry stood on the other side, grinning.

"Damn, Lindsay, you just keep getting hotter," he said, taking his time appraising her with his big brown eyes. "You look great. Come on in," he opened the door wider and gestured for her to come inside.

"Thanks," she replied, feeling shy. She liked the way that Barry looked at her most of the time, but it also made her feel self-conscious, especially since she was wearing jeans and a sweater. And her dad's army jacket, of course. It was way too long of a drive to dress up- though she did have something a little nicer to wear in her bag.

As she entered his dorm room, the first thing that struck Lindsay was how _small_ it was- seriously, how could two people spend time in such a tiny enclosed space without killing one another?

"We're not in here together much," Barry said, as if reading her mind. "Jake- my roommate- is in a fraternity. He spends most of his time over at the frat house."

"Oh. Okay. Is- is he staying there tonight?"

Barry looked at her. "Yeah," he said, "That's okay, right? I can take his bed, and you can crash in mine." He indicated that the bed currently closer to them was his. He grinned, raising his eyebrow suggestively. "_If_ that's still what you want later." He was clearly implying that she'll want to share a bed with him.

"Yeah, okay," Lindsay replied, a tad uncomfortable. She shrugged and plopped her duffel bag decisively on the floor next to Barry's bed. She hadn't bothered to try to find Julie's number this week, and she didn't ask Barry if he had it. The proposed sleeping arrangement sounded all right, she guessed, assuming Barry kept to his roommate's bed. She looked at Barry's side a little more closely, trying to gather information about him from the stuff in his dorm room. It seemed like he spent a lot of money to fix the place up, Lindsay eventually decided. There were some lamps on which eliminated the need for the harsh fluorescent lighting overhead, his sound system looked awesome, and there were even decorative pillows on his bed. Involuntarily, Lindsay wondered how often Barry brought girls back here.

"I like to keep the place nice," he said, shrugging, noticing Lindsay looking around. "Helps me study. Though I'll be moving into an apartment next year. Jake will be moving into the fraternity house, and most upperclassmen live off-campus."

Lindsay nodded. "Do you know who you're going to live with yet?"

Barry shrugged. "No, there's a bunch of us that hang out, but we haven't figured it all out yet." He met her eyes and gave her a wicked smile. "So- what do you want to do?"

Lindsay began to feel a little uncomfortable again. Barry looked good- he wore jeans and a sweater like she did but he wore a collared shirt underneath and his hair was styled really nicely so he actually looked significantly more dressed up than she did. But he was looking at her as though he would be perfectly content chaining Lindsay to his bed and keeping her there for the rest of the night. She liked him, but this was weirding her out a little. They needed to get out of there.

"Well-," she began, "I told my parents that I was going to look at colleges, and I don't want to totally lie to them-"

"You want to see the campus?" Barry interjected.

Lindsay nodded. "Sorry if that's really lame."

Barry shrugged. "We can go, I guess," he said. He continued, completely unenthusiastically, "The campus here is nice, and there's a lot to see. I can show you around. Need to use the bathroom or anything before we go?"

"Nah, I'm all right," Lindsay responded, grabbing her purse and walking out of the room with Barry. She watched him as he locked the door to his room, suddenly envious of his independence, his ability to come and go whenever he pleased.

They set off on a walk, with Barry playing the role of tour guide. He seemed a little disappointed at first, as though she had offended him by wanting to leave his room, but eventually he started talking about the school, his own experiences, and things he'd heard from his friends. He pointed as they passed each building- the Museum of Art, the Library, the Student Union.

The lake the campus sits on was quickly coming into view, though it took them several more minutes to approach the path near the edge. When they finally did, Lindsay sighed deeply, the tension from home and her drive there rolling off of her shoulders. Being near the water seemed to have that effect on her. When she glanced over at Barry, he was looking at her.

"I like to come out here when I need to think. A little quieter than usual today." He continued, "The football game is still on, so I'm sure everyone's inside watching. The team is away this week." He had a slightly bitter edge to his voice, almost like he would rather be with his buddies watching the game.

She just nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Should she apologize? Nah, he told her to come out and visit. They began to walk.

They walked at a leisurely pace. At first Lindsay was afraid to break the silence, but it was ridiculous to not talk about anything, so eventually she started asking him more about school. The sun shone warm on their faces. Birds chirped and they passed a few students, though it seemed eerily quiet for a college campus in autumn. Some trees eventually appeared on their left. When Lindsay asked what was in there, Barry told her they were the Muir woods. Perking up, he grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards them, telling her how incredible they were and how this was one of his favorite places to study on a nice day. After just a couple of minutes of walking, they found themselves in an isolated little patch of forest.

As soon as Lindsay turned to face him, Barry leaned forward and kissed her, with the urgency of someone who hadn't kissed her in over five months and really wanted to would have. His lips felt hot on her mouth.

He pulled away after a minute. "Sorry," he grinned at her, "I've been thinking about that ever since my dad's party. I had to try to get it out of my system, I suppose."

"Did it work?" Lindsay asked, a little breathlessly. Barry could kiss. And his last statement explained a lot about his behavior the last hour, she supposed.

"Not even remotely," he joked. He leaned in and kissed her again.

Though things started out pleasantly enough, Lindsay quickly went from being in the moment to feeling completely out of it. Barry had quickly moved his hands down to her butt, and was pulling her into him with strong arms, almost _too_ strong. She began to wonder if spending the night at Barry's was such a hot idea, wondered if she should somehow find Julie Farmington. She struggled out of their embrace.

"We should keep walking," was all she said. Lindsay wasn't in the mood to start any kind of confrontation.

Barry turned away, defensive. "Yeah, okay, whatever." He dropped her hand.

They continued their walk in silence. After what seemed like forever, Barry spoke up. "Did you want to see the stadium? It's kind of out of the way."

Lindsay shrugged. She'd never been a huge football fan. "Nah, that's okay."

"All right." He sighed, hesitating, and then spoke again. "You must be getting hungry though."

He had her there. Aside from some gas station snacks, she hadn't eaten since breakfast. "Actually, yeah, I'm starving." She smiled. She liked the idea of going to dinner with him. Being someplace public, she thought, would take some of the sudden pressure she was feeling off of her. She had always enjoyed spending time with Barry, but she had never been really alone with him before- back when they were growing up, it seemed like Sam and Neal were always around, if no one else. And now that they were alone, Lindsay didn't quite know how to handle his behavior. Had she given Barry the wrong idea? Better to be around a lot of people, she thought, and then she wouldn't need to worry about it.

He replied, "Okay. So how about we walk back to the dorm? You can change if you'd like and we can get ready for this evening. There's a place I had in mind to take you for dinner- if you still want to go."

"So, wait," Lindsay interjected, "You're taking me out to eat? We're not just going to the dining hall or something?" This was a surprise.

"Well, we can if you want," Barry replied, "but I had something a little nicer in mind- I made reservations. Do you like Italian? If not, we could always go somewhere else- though since it's a Saturday we might be waiting a while."

Italian sounded fine to her. After a quick stop in his dorm (Lindsay made sure to get ready in record time so as not to linger in there alone with him), Barry took her to a place overlooking the lake (apparently, a different lake). It was somehow casual and fancy at the same time and the dinner itself was fabulous- they'd split a pizza and salad. Barry seemed liked he'd relaxed a bit from earlier; it felt like an actual date. His sudden relaxation may have had something to do with the bottle of wine he had broken out in the car- they'd each had two cups as they were getting ready to go into the restaurant. Lindsay was already starting to feel warmth spread across her cheeks from the alcohol.

Their conversation continued throughout dinner- at times it flowed freely, but at other times it stalled for a bit, which probably had a lot to do with Lindsay's train of thought. She had always liked Barry growing up, and just never realized that he would ever want anything to do with her, being three years older and all. There was something about him now that was nagging at her, however.

She kept thinking back to the last time that she and Barry spent time together at the Schweiber party. She'd had an amazing time that night, but something had put a damper on it, right at the very end. Long after she had gotten back, long after her parents had passed out drunk, Sam told her that Dr. Schweiber was cheating on his wife.

She remembered a while before that Sam inquiring to her about whether or not their dad or Dr. Schweiber would have an affair. But it all became clear to her that night after Sam told her the news- why Sam felt compelled to ask her about infidelity, why Neal was acting out at the party with his stupid ventriloquism. Sam mentioned that Neal had spoken to Barry about it, too.

And now, sitting across from him, Lindsay couldn't help but wonder how it had affected Barry here at school- whether or not he thought about it. Well, of course he thought about it. But how much had it changed him, changed who he was? He seemed different than what she remembered. He had more of an ego now, that was for sure. She backtracked to their amazing phone conversation, tried to remember if there was anything odd that he had said back then. She couldn't think of anything.

When the check came, she offered to pay her share, but Barry just shrugged and said he had it. He'd been working part-time over the summer, he'd said, in what started out as a brief internship but ended up as a part-time job at a law firm. It was grunt work, he'd explained, saying that he did little more than run errands, fetch coffee, and organize files- but he was finding out more about law, meeting people, and making money at the same time, which had been motivating, both for his career and for his wallet.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Lindsay wondered if Barry was going to try to kiss her again when they got to the car, what he was going to suggest they do next.

She didn't have long to wait. Barry spoke up as they were walking.

"So- Jake's frat is having a party tonight, and some of my other friends are going to be there," he explained. "Would- would you like to go? It's up to you. If not, we could just go back to the dorm and watch TV, or catch a movie or something."

Lindsay didn't have to think twice. Aside from the fact that she wasn't overly eager to spend time alone with Barry anytime soon, she was genuinely curious to meet Barry's friends. She was interested to see what his life was like up here.

"Sure, let's go to the party," she replied casually.

"Okay," Barry replied. "We can just head straight there if you're ready?"

Lindsay nodded. As she eased inside the car, she briefly wondered if he was okay to drive. She ended up voicing her concerns out loud.

"Oh, I'm fine," he said, dismissively waving his hand at her. "I only had two glasses and I had a lot to eat, as you could tell," he rubbed his stomach as he said it. It was true- Barry had eaten far more than she did. And he did have a higher tolerance, she supposed. "Besides, thankfully we don't have to drive far around here."

Barry was right- they reached the fraternity after just a couple of minutes.

They ended up parking a few blocks away since there wasn't anything closer. As they walked toward the fraternity, Barry possessively draped his arm across her shoulders. "I know we're just getting here, but I can't wait to get you alone again," he whispered in her ear. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and immediately questioned her decision to let him drive. And given his overeager kissing and lack of any tender affection, his heavy arm made Lindsay feel even more awkward.

When they arrived, there was actually a pretty big line. "Ah, September. The parties are pretty huge this time of year," he lamented. However, Barry knew the two guys at the door, so they were able to walk straight up to them.

"Hey Brad, Patrick. This is Lindsay," Barry said by way of introduction. One of them whistled.

"This the hottie from your Educational Policy class you keep talking about, Schweiber?" he asked.

Barry glared at him as he shook his head. "This is Lindsay. She's from my hometown. Jake around?" was all he said instead of answering.

The other one, Brad or Patrick, smiled. "Oh, the jailbait, right?! Yeah, he's upstairs hanging out with Drew and Kyle. Go on up; I know he's expecting you guys."

Barry nodded. "All right, man, thanks. Hey- did we end up winning today? We were tied in the second quarter."

Brad or Patrick responded enthusiastically. "Hell, yeah, man! We crushed them; didn't you hear? What were you _doing_?" As Brad or Patrick glanced at Lindsay again, a devilish grin appeared on their face. "Never mind."

Barry spoke up as soon as they were in the house and out of earshot. "These guys were just giving me shit," he halfheartedly explained, "It doesn't have anything to do with you."

Lindsay just shrugged. She wasn't easily offended, and it's not like she and Barry were going out or anything, so she had made no previous claims on him. And there wasn't much that Brad or Patrick could say that could make her feel weirder than she already felt.

They headed up the stairs and down the hallway into a large room where several guys and a few girls were sitting, pouring shots from colored bottles of liquor into an array of shot glasses. As soon as they entered, a friendly-looking guy hopped up to say hello.

"Lindsay, right?" he smiled at her, though his voice sounded just a bit uncertain. But he definitely lacked the cockiness, the ego that the older guys at the front door had perfected. "Barry's told me a lot about you. I'm Jake." He extended his hand to her.

Lindsay reached out and shook it, smiling. "Nice to meet you." She fought a blush herself as she spoke next. "Um- thanks for lending Barry your bed tonight so I can crash there," she muttered. She was staring at the floor by the time she was done, embarrassed.

"Not a problem- I'm here most nights anyways." She looked back up. Jake was smiling again. "Besides, I'd never deprive a friend of the opportunity to spend some time alone with such a hot girl," he said, giving her a sly glance as he put his hand on Barry's shoulder. And Lindsay definitely didn't miss the wink that Jake gave her as he did it.

They all sat down then, and Lindsay was introduced to the rest of the guys- Drew and Kyle, who seemed like they were Barry's closest friends, and a bunch of other people whose names she was certain she would forget. A couple of the girls were girlfriends of brothers, but two were there for the first time, so Lindsay felt as though she was in good company. They all laughed and chatted as music played in the background and they continued to occasionally pour and take shots.

When Barry got up to use the bathroom, the girl that was sitting next to them leaned over and whispered in Lindsay's ear. "Look, I've never seen you with Barry before, so I just gotta say this to you upfront: please, be careful. Use a condom. That guy gets around."

Lindsay was mortified, but she didn't feel like putting the energy into denying anything to someone she had never met before. She simply nodded and whispered back. "Okay, thanks for telling me."

So when Barry came back, they sat and drank some more. Well, Barry did anyway- he did at least six shots while they were there, having his glass refilled again and again. She was only drinking a little- after her single shot, she was finished with liquor, despite Barry encouraging her to take another (or two or five). "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you," he kept drunkenly reassuring her- which was no reassurance at all. Though he did also say that they were close enough to walk from where they were, which was comforting because Barry was quickly putting himself in a state where he couldn't drive. Lindsay was relieved when they were told the party downstairs was picking up (just so that they could get away from the shots) until she heard that the frat brothers were starting a house-wide beer pong competition.

"Beer pong?" Lindsay asked.

Barry nodded. "It's a fun game. Don't worry, we'll be on a team together, I'll show you what to do."

They headed down to the basement, which was the polar opposite from where they had just come. Instead of the mellow Floyd softly playing in the background the basement was blasting with hard rock and even some disco. Rather than good-tasting liquor, like the Goldschlager she had tried, there was nothing but the cheapest possible beer from a can- just like her friends back in Chippewa drank. Suddenly, she felt just a bit nostalgic for her old crowd. She smiled wistfully.

But she was quickly distracted. Beer pong tables were being set up, and Lindsay had never seen anything like this game before. As they watched the first few rounds, Barry started explaining, well, slurring rather, the rules.

"And if you make both shots, then you can 'bring them back' and take another turn," he was saying, and though it sounded fun, Lindsay was only half paying attention. As Barry was talking to her he had to lean close so that she could hear him over the loud music- but he was intentionally leaning too far, putting his lips and tongue dangerously close to her ear. Considering how the evening had gone up to that point, Lindsay was not impressed; in fact, she was thinking that Dr. Schweiber had influenced his son in all the wrong ways.

Before long, a table had freed up, and after Barry made sure that Lindsay still wanted to play (to which Lindsay replied with a resounding YES! just to have interaction with some other people at the party), they took their places at the end.

Barry knew their opponents so he half-mumbled half-shouted some introductions, though Lindsay forgot their names the moment they were spoken. Barry let Lindsay toss first. Though she was only buzzed, having never been particularly good at sports or played beer pong before, the ping-pong ball hit a good foot away from the red plastic cup, practically off of the table.

"Good try, Lindsay," Barry slurred, clearly a white lie. "You'll get it next time." That lie was even more blatant.

Barry didn't make his shot, either- his reflexes were clearly starting to deteriorate a bit, and she certainly didn't foresee his coordination improving. The ping pong balls went to the team of frat brothers. This was a mistake.

Having had gobs of practice, the two guys won, sinking both cups three rounds in a row. Barry tried to drink his half but was already pretty drunk, so she stopped him. She drank a couple herself but left the rest on the table. If she had to chug the nasty swill in the cups in front of her she would definitely be in a drunker state than she preferred- the two glasses of wine and the shot she had were quite enough. She needed to keep her wits about her.

"C'mon Barry, maybe we should go," she told him gently. "Let's walk; it'll be good for you." She half wondered if this was a mistake, if she should just let him keep drinking and pass out here at the fraternity. But then where would she sleep? She didn't know anyone here. And she had no idea how to get back to Barry's room (even if she did, she didn't have a key), which she would need to access before getting out of town. She wanted to make sure she could leave on her terms (i.e. as soon as possible in the morning) rather than wait around for Barry to sober up.

Plus, Barry was really drunk, even stumbling now, and she figured the walk outside would do him some good. He nodded, defeated. "Okay."

He led her out the door of the frat and they started to walk home. Thankfully, he had done this enough times; he still knew where they were going. The walk truly did seem to do him some good- the air was already crisp, and he started to look more alert on the trek to his dorm (it felt like forever but apparently was about two miles).

She really had to pee, so when they got back to Barry's she asked where she could go to the bathroom; since it was a coed dorm he directed her right down the hall. She brought her bag in with her so that she could change and brush her teeth. She had brought sleep shorts and two different tops from home- one frumpy-ish t-shirt that was super comfortable, and one tight low-cut camisole that wasn't as comfortable but in which she knew she looked damn good. She didn't even need to hold them both in front of the mirror of the girls' bathroom- Lindsay opted for the former. She wanted to look as unsexy as possible.

As she entered Barry's dorm room, he had already changed into boxer shorts and was shirtless, and sure enough, he was sitting on his own bed. When Lindsay reemerged in the room, Barry's eyes widened and he patted the space next to him. Well, there was no way she was going for this.

"So, Barry, can I get you one of your shirts to sleep in?" she suggested, trying to sound casual but not succeeding. She did _not_ want to give him any ideas. The more dressed he was the better. "It might be more comfortable for you." She moved towards his dresser. "It definitely would be for me," she muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Barry had gotten up and was moving towards her.

It was then Lindsay realized that she was nervous. Barry was drunk, and he was bigger and stronger than she was. He walked right up to her while she was at his dresser, turned her around, and kissed her on the lips. He pushed roughly into her (pinning her against the dresser) for the few seconds while their lips were locked. As soon as she possibly could, she pulled away.

"I've been thinking about that ever since the last one," he mumbled drunkenly into her ear. Barry had managed to remember that he had told her that after he kissed her a few hours ago.

Lindsay was taking measured deep breaths, in and out, trying to figure out what to do next. "Barry, you need to stop kissing me and put some more clothes on," she said sternly. She made it a point to look directly at him when she said it. He needed to get her message loud and clear. She wasn't interested in kissing him. Period. Ever again.

He gently ran his fingertips over her bottom lip, causing her to shudder. Any inhibitions that he had had flown out the window with his sobriety. "Why? I thought you'd like the way I look in this." He gestured to his bare chest. He had no mental filter at this point. She wished he would just shut up.

She needed to change tactics. Her refusals up to this point were obviously not resonating with him. _Fight fire with fire_, she guessed. She met his gaze, trying her best to sound sultry. Doing her best acting, she purred, "Because you're drunk."

"So?" he slurred.

"So….I'm not going to take advantage of you."

"_Lind_-say," Barry slurred before planting another kiss on her lips. Pulling away, he added, "I _want_ you to take advantage of me."

For just a minute, as part of her strategy, Lindsay pretended to respond to his advances. She started kissing Barry back. Lindsay leaned into him and slowly walked him across the room, guiding him backwards- towards Jake's bed. Lindsay kept kissing him as they reached the foot of the bed.

But just as quickly- she gave him a big shove, so that he was lying flat on his back on the bed. She knew that he was just drunk enough that he wouldn't likely be getting back up. Then she let the truth come pouring out. "Barry- you need to stop kissing me because I'm not going to do this with you- not tonight. Not ever. And the reason is because of the way you've acted towards me all evening. You've been a complete ass."

Barry was clearly pissed. "I bought your dinner," he spat out. For a second he looked like he was going to say something else, argue some more. But then a look of nausea came over his face and he shut his mouth. All of a sudden he didn't look so hot. "Okay, whatever," he said reluctantly. "I feel like shit anyway. But if you're going to make me get dressed- can you at least do me a favor? Can you get me a T-shirt out of my dresser? The McKinley High School Class of 1979 one? It's in the top drawer. I'm feeling a little nauseous, and I'm not sure I want to get up…."

"Then don't," she responded, moving back to the dresser, opening the top drawer, and rummaging around it for a few seconds until she found his slightly frumpy but soft blue t-shirt. She threw it at him.

Barry put the shirt on, and then proceeded to ignore her. She heard him snoring about five minutes later. He had passed out cold.

Lindsay awoke several hours later to what she thought was a chainsaw. She was curled on her side, facing the window. Upon rolling over, however, she realized that it was just Barry, across the room, still asleep on Jake's bed, snoring loudly.

Lindsay wondered if it would be possible to get up, get ready, and leave without waking Barry. After last night's shenanigans, she wanted to get the hell out of there and never see him again. She knew she would run into him on occasion, at future Schweiber parties and such, and she was ready to deal with that. But that didn't mean she was all right with spending any more time alone with him. Lindsay cringed as she thought of Barry practically accosting her at his dresser.

But she decided to be the bigger person. Next to Jake's bed Lindsay placed a garbage can, a roll of paper towels, and a huge plastic cup full of water. Barry was going to need it.

As Lindsay went to go to the bathroom to get ready, clumsiness hit and she tripped over the strap on her open duffel bag, causing a few of her toiletries to loudly spill out. Barry stirred but didn't wake up.

Lindsay smiled for just a second. It was nicest thing that Barry had done for her the whole trip. After getting dressed, she slipped quietly out the door, but by the time she got to her car, the rest of last evening had come back into focus. She drove away fuming.


	3. Version 2- Losers and Boozers

Losers and Boozers

The door opened, and Barry stood on the other side, grinning from ear to ear.

"Damn, Lindsay, you just keep getting hotter," he said, appraising her with his big brown eyes. "You look great. It's so good to see you. Come on in," he opened the door wider and gestured for her to come inside.

"Thanks," she replied, feeling shy. She liked the way that Barry looked at her, but it also made her feel a tad self-conscious, especially since she was wearing jeans and a sweater. And her dad's army jacket, of course. It was way too long of a drive to dress up- though she did have something a little nicer to wear in her bag.

As she entered his dorm room, the first thing that struck Lindsay was how _small_ it was- seriously, how could two people spend time in such a tiny enclosed space without killing one another?

"We're not in here together much," Barry said, as if reading her mind. "Jake- my roommate- is in a fraternity. He spends most of his time over at the frat house."

"Oh. Okay. Is- is he staying there tonight?"

Barry looked at her, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah," he said, cheeks flushing a little pink. "Though he stays there most nights, so it's nothing unusual. I hope it's okay. That way, if you decide to stay here, um, I can take his bed, and you can crash in mine, if you'd like." He indicated that the bed currently closer to them was his.

"Yeah, okay," Lindsay replied. She shrugged, hoping she sounded casual, and plopped her duffel bag on the floor next to Barry's bed. She hadn't bothered to try to find Julie's number this week, and she didn't ask Barry if he had it- the proposed sleeping arrangement sounded fine. She looked at Barry's side a little more closely, trying to gather information about him from the stuff in his dorm room, but he just had the bare essentials- toiletries, books, clothes, a few records- nothing that told her much. Once again, he sensed her curiosity and spoke up.

"I don't see much point in decorating until I get into an apartment," he said, shrugging. "Jake will be moving into the fraternity house next year, and most upperclassmen live off-campus."

Lindsay nodded. "Do you know who you're going to live with yet?"

Barry shrugged. "No, I haven't figured it out yet." He looked anxious for a moment, but then met her eyes and gave her a friendly but tentative smile. "So- what do you want to do?"

Lindsay fought herself from running her tongue over her teeth- she knew what she wanted to do, and that was to kiss him. Barry looked good- he wore jeans and a sweater like she did but he wore a collared shirt underneath and his hair was styled really nicely so he actually looked significantly more dressed up than she did. But there was no way she was going to start out the evening with kissing as things would only go south from there.

"Well-," she hesitated a moment, hating to have to bring this up, but "I told my parents that I was going to look at colleges, and I don't want to totally lie to them-"

"You want to see the campus?" Barry interjected gently.

Lindsay nodded, relieved. "Sorry if that's really lame."

Barry shook his head. "Are you crazy? Not at all. The campus here is beautiful, and there's a lot to see. I told you, I love it- I'd be happy to show you around. Need to use the bathroom or anything before we go?"

"Nah, I'm all right," Lindsay responded, grabbing her purse and walking out of the room with Barry. She watched him as he locked the door to his room, suddenly envious of his independence, his ability to come and go whenever he pleased.

They set off on a walk, with Barry playing the role of tour guide, talking nonstop with a mix of the history of the school and his own experiences. He gestured excitedly as they passed each building- the Museum of Art, the Library, the Student Union.

The lake the campus sits on was quickly coming into view, though it took them several more minutes to approach the path near the edge. When they finally did, Lindsay sighed deeply, all of the tension from home and her drive there rolling off of her shoulders. Being near the water seemed to have that effect on her. When she glanced over at Barry, he was looking at her and smiling.

"Lake Mendota is pretty amazing, huh? I like to come out here when I need to think. A little quieter than usual today. The football game is still on, so I'm sure everyone's inside watching. The team is away this week."

She nodded, completely at peace, not needing to say anything. They began to walk.

Just as she was getting in stride, she suddenly felt the warmth of Barry's hand grasp hers. She let out an initial gasp of surprise, but it was a nice feeling, so she didn't let go.

They continued to walk at a leisurely pace, talking about school and politics and music. The sun shone warm on their faces. Birds chirped and they passed a few students, though it seemed eerily quiet for a college campus in autumn. Some trees eventually appeared on their left. When Lindsay asked what was in there, Barry told her they were the Muir woods and started pulling her towards them, telling her how incredible they were and how this was one of his favorite places to study on a nice day. After just a couple of minutes of walking, they found themselves in a wonderfully isolated little patch of forest.

As soon as Lindsay turned to face him, Barry leaned forward and kissed her, with the urgency of someone who hadn't kissed her in over five months and really wanted to would have. His lips felt hot on her mouth. _Wow_. She kissed him back.

He pulled away after a minute, grabbing her hand again, immediately starting to tug her out of the woods, back the way they came. "Sorry," he grinned at her, "I've been thinking about that ever since my dad's party. I had to try to get it out of my system, I suppose."

"Did it work?" Lindsay asked, a little breathlessly. Barry could kiss.

"Not even remotely," he joked, smiling again. They continued their walk. "But that's okay. Did you want to see the stadium? It's kind of out of the way."

Lindsay shrugged. She'd never been a huge football fan. "Nah, that's okay."

"All right. You must be getting hungry though."

He had her there. Aside from some gas station snacks, she hadn't eaten since breakfast. "Actually, yeah, I'm starving."

He brightened. "Great. So how about we walk back to the dorm? You can change if you'd like and we can get ready for this evening. There's a place I had in mind to take you for dinner, and after that, we can do whatever you want."

"So, wait," Lindsay interjected, "You're taking me out to eat? We're not just going to the dining hall or something?"

"Well, we can if you want," Barry replied with a grin, "but as good as dining hall Sloppy Joes are, I had something a little nicer in mind- I made reservations. Do you like Italian? If not, we could always go somewhere else- though since it's a Saturday we might be waiting a while."

Italian sounded fine to her. After a quick stop in his dorm, Barry took her to a place overlooking the lake (apparently, a different lake). It was somehow casual and fancy at the same time and dinner was fabulous- they'd split a pizza and salad. It felt like an actual date, which was something Lindsay wasn't used to at all. Since Barry had even broken out a bottle of wine in the car and they'd each had a cup as they were getting ready to go into the restaurant, Lindsay was already starting to feel warmth spread across her cheeks from the alcohol. The conversation was flowing freely; both of them were growing more and more animated as they recounted stories of their youth.

"And remember that time when my mom made us go trick-or-treating together as The _Brady Bunch_?" Lindsay exclaimed, a little louder than she normally would have perhaps. She'd never really drunk wine before and was a little startled by the effect that it had on her. Nothing like when she drank beer with the gang. "She bought Sam and me the most awful blonde wigs. And I thought I was going to die when I saw Sam dressed up as Cindy."

"My parents never had to make me do anything when it came to seeing you," Barry replied, causing Lindsay to blush, "Though the Peter Brady bowl cut my mom gave me for the occasion _was_ pretty horrible."

"But you looked cute!" Lindsay said. "I thought you did, anyway." Without thinking she muttered under her breath, _still do_. She was certain that Barry read her lips because he broke out into another grin.

Their flirtatious banter continued all throughout dinner. She had always liked Barry, just never realized that he would ever want anything to do with her, being three years older and all. The familiarity, the comfort of hanging out with someone that she'd known for so long- combined with the excitement and anticipation of being out with someone she liked as more than a friend- this was reading like a near-perfect first date.

When the check came, she made an offer to pay her share, but Barry wouldn't hear of it. He'd been working part-time over the summer, he'd said, in what started out as a brief internship but ended up as a part-time job at a law firm. It was grunt work, he'd explained, saying that he did little more than run errands, fetch coffee, and organize files- but he was finding out more about law, meeting people, and making money at the same time, which had been motivating, both for his career and for his wallet.

As they were getting ready to leave Barry came over to her side of the table and reached his hand out to help her up. She obliged and after she got to her feet he didn't let go of her hand, just held it as they walked out of the restaurant.

Lindsay was wondering if Barry was going to kiss her again when they got to the car, what he was going to suggest they do next.

She didn't have long to wait. Barry spoke up as they were walking.

"So- what would you like to do? It's up to you. We could grab some ice cream and catch a movie or something. Or we could just go back to the dorm and hang out and watch TV."

Lindsay was torn. On one hand, she liked the idea of going back to the dorm and spending time alone with Barry. On the other, it scared her a little. But ultimately, what prompted her next question was her sheer curiosity to meet Barry's friends. She was interested to see what his life was like up here. "Are- are your friends doing anything fun tonight?" Lindsay asked him.

"Um- well, my roommate Jake's fraternity is having a party," he said off-handedly, almost as an afterthought. "Would- would you like to go?"

"Sure, we can go," she replied casually. "That sounds fun," she added.

"Okay," Barry replied, hesitating. "I guess- we can just head straight there if you're ready?"

Lindsay nodded, and Barry opened the car door for her. As she eased inside, she briefly wondered if he was okay to drive. She ended up voicing her concerns out loud.

"Oh, I'm fine, but thanks for asking," he said. "I only had a glass and I had a lot to eat, as you could tell," he rubbed his stomach as he said it. It was true- Barry had eaten far more than she did. And he did have a higher tolerance, she supposed. "Besides, thankfully we don't have to drive far around here."

Barry was right- they reached the fraternity after just a couple of minutes.

They ended up parking a few blocks away since there wasn't anything closer. As they walked toward the fraternity, Barry briefly slipped his hand around her waist. "I can't wait to show you off," he whispered in her ear. It left Lindsay's spine tingling.

When they arrived, there was actually a pretty big line. "Ah, September. The parties are pretty huge this time of year," he lamented. He became distinctly uncomfortable. "Um- I'm sorry to say this, but I don't really know those two guys," he gestured to the two guys at the door, "So I think we're going to have to wait in line."

"Oh. Okay," Lindsay replied easily. She could think of worse ways to spend the next few minutes than waiting in line with Barry. They could just keep their conversation rolling from dinner.

Except that they waited for nearly an hour, and the attitudes of the guys at the door were awful- Lindsay was disgusted at the way that those jerks were just turning people away. And when they reached the front of the line, Lindsay still wasn't convinced that Barry would be able to get them in.

"Hey guys. I'm Barry and this is Lindsay. Jake's my roommate," Barry said by way of introduction.

"Which Jake?" The taller, blonder one immediately asked. He managed to sound both dimwitted and condescending at the same time.

"Jake Meyer," Barry replied nervously. This obviously wasn't his scene- _no wonder he didn't bring it up_, Lindsay thought.

"Were you on the list?" The shorter, burlier guy asked rudely.

"I- I don't know," Barry said anxiously. "I'm his roommate. Barry Schweiber."

The guys both started scrolling down a long list of names. "Nope," they both said simultaneously with a smug satisfaction, presumably when they reached the "S" portion of the list.

"Well, should we get him?" I heard the taller guy murmur to the shorter one.

The shorter one started eyeing Lindsay. Like, up and down, trying to picture her without clothes or something. "This your girlfriend?" he eventually asked Barry pointedly.

Barry blushed and protectively put his hand on Lindsay's shoulder, but he 'fessed up. He and Lindsay weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. They never were. "No," he said honestly.

The two guys stepped away from each other, like the parting of the Red Sea or something. "You're lucky this girl is so hot, man," the shorter one said as he waved them through. "I'm going to tell Jake you're here, and if he has an issue with it, we're going to find you and throw you out." He glanced at Lindsay again. "Though _she_ can stay."

Lindsay remained quiet throughout the whole exchange, not because she didn't want to stand up for Barry, but because she wasn't really sure what she could have said or done. By the time she was ready to give those guys a piece of her mind, it was all over, they were in.

Barry apologized as soon as they were in the house and out of earshot. "These guys will say anything to make themselves feel important," he said, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm sorry for how they treated _you_," Lindsay replied.

"I'll survive," he said, grinning at her.

Coincidentally enough, they ran into Jake almost immediately after they got inside. "Hey, Schweiber," he said. "I didn't know you were coming." He turned to Lindsay and smiled at her. He definitely lacked the cockiness, the ego that the older guys at the front door had perfected. "Hi, I'm Jake." He extended his hand to her. "And you are-?" Barry must not have told him her name.

Lindsay reached out and shook it, smiling. "Lindsay. I'm a friend from Barry's hometown. Nice to meet you." She fought a blush as she spoke next. "Um- thanks for lending Barry your bed tonight so I can crash there," she muttered. She was staring at the floor by the time she was done, embarrassed.

"Not a problem- I'm here most nights anyways." He smiled at them both. "Party's downstairs. There should be plenty of beer, and they're setting up for the beer pong competition." Just then, some other fraternity brothers called out Jake's name. He turned around to see where the sound was coming from. "Listen, I gotta go, they're going to keep us pretty busy tonight. But if I don't see you again, you guys have fun." And then he was gone.

"Beer pong?" Lindsay asked.

Barry nodded. "It's a fun game. Don't worry, we'll be on a team together, I'll show you what to do."

And just like that, they were alone again, or as alone as you can be in a fraternity full of rowdy partygoers. She and Barry headed down to the basement, which was blasting with hard rock and even some disco, and there was nothing but the cheapest possible beer from a can- just like her friends back in Chippewa drank. Suddenly, she felt just a bit nostalgic for her old crowd. She smiled wistfully.

But she quickly got over it. Beer pong tables were being set up, and Lindsay had never seen anything like this game before. They put their names on the "list" immediately but had a feeling that they would be waiting a while regardless. As they watched the first few rounds, they each got a beer and Barry started explaining the rules.

"And if you make both shots, then you can 'bring them back' and take another turn," he was saying. It sounded fun, and Lindsay started paying more attention to the people already playing. She kept getting distracted, however, because as Barry was talking to her he had to lean close so that she could hear him over the loud music- so his lips and tongue were dangerously close to her ear. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, because she had a slow, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. But for now, Lindsay refused to acknowledge it.

After what felt like an eternity, a table had freed up, and after Barry made sure that Lindsay still wanted to play (to which Lindsay replied with a resounding YES!), they took their places at the end.

Barry leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Have fun. I've left the car here before; we're close enough to walk home. It'll take a while, but that's okay."

Their opponents introduced themselves, though Lindsay forgot their names the moment they were spoken. Barry let Lindsay toss first. Though she was only buzzed, having never been particularly good at sports or played beer pong before, the ping-pong ball hit a good foot away from the red plastic cup, practically off of the table.

"Good try, Lindsay," Barry said, though it was a white lie. "You'll get it next time." That lie was even more blatant. She'd had another beer while she was waiting, and on top of the wine, her reflexes were starting to deteriorate just a bit. And if she had to chug the nasty swill in the cups in front of her she certainly didn't foresee her coordination improving.

Barry made his shot, but since Lindsay missed hers the ping pong balls went to the team of frat brothers. This was a mistake.

Having had gobs of practice, the two guys won, sinking both cups three rounds in a row. Lindsay drank her half quickly (it was the only way she could get the beer down), but not long afterward she started to feel even more buzzed. Barry drank his half and they left the table so that the next team could play.

"Should we put our names on the list to play again?" he asked her gently. "Or do you just want to go back to the dorm?"

They couldn't have been at the party for more than an hour or two. On the other hand, it felt like they were there for about a million years. After having a couple of drinks, Lindsay was far more loose-lipped than she was normally. So she didn't try to stop the words from coming out of her mouth when she said, "Don't you know anyone else here?"

Barry turned as red as a tomato, staring at the floor. "No, sorry," he said. It came out no louder than a whisper.

She nodded, defeated. "Okay. Let's go then." Lindsay put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, no need to feel embarrassed." Barry was silent as he led her out the door of the frat and they started to walk back to his room.

The walk truly did do her some good- the air was already crisp, and she felt like she woke up a bit on the trek to Barry's dorm (it felt like forever but apparently was about two miles). But she could tell that the alcohol was starting to hit her a little harder. She and Barry didn't talk much on the walk home; she seemed to have struck a nerve with her comment, and Barry had completely shut down.

She really had to pee, so when they got back to Barry's she asked where she could go to the bathroom; since it was a coed dorm he directed her right down the hall. She brought her bag in with her so that she could change and brush her teeth. She had brought sleep shorts and two different tops from home- one frumpy-ish t-shirt that was super comfortable, and one tight low-cut camisole that wasn't as comfortable but in which she knew she looked damn good. Holding both in front of the mirror of the girls' bathroom, Lindsay hesitated. But she opted for the former.

As she entered Barry's dorm room, he had already changed into boxer shorts and a t-shirt, and was sitting on Jake's bed. Holding a bottle of vodka.

"I need another drink," he said, smiling at her, though his smile was strained. He held the bottle out to her. "Want some?"

Lindsay shook her head but sat down next to him. Between the wine and beer, she was feeling just fine. But she knew Barry wasn't. "Are you okay?" she asked him, worried.

"Well, I guess you've probably figured out by now that I might as well be getting beat up every day like in high school for how popular I am around here," he said, opening the bottle and taking a swig. "Of course, at least when you get beat up every day people know who you are." He chuckled sadly and held the bottle out to her again.

This time, Lindsay obliged. She didn't want him to feel like an alcoholic (though for all she knew, he could have been, she supposed). It was the cheap kind and burned her throat like she imagined a swig of kerosene lit on fire would have- which was coincidentally what it tasted like.

She spoke up, but tried to be more mindful this time. "What happened to people buying the handsome, dashing, Jew?" Lindsay asked with a smile. The words brought her back to the Schweiber party. Barry seemed like he was having a lot more fun back then.

"I don't know- I've met a lot of people in my classes and we get along great," he said. "But since I hadn't picked a major until this semester, I wasn't taking core classes like most of the underclassmen here. I had different courses every semester- with really different people. There was just no continuity. I might seem outgoing, but it takes me a while to feel comfortable with people. By the time I felt less shy, classes would change. And this is a really big school. Kind of hard to track people down sometimes."

Lindsay listened patiently- but she wasn't buying any of this. He had been at college more than two years, for crying out loud. There are a ton of places he could have made friends besides class.

"Through Jake?" she wondered out loud.

Barry shook his head. "We're really different. We get along well, but I'm not sure we'll keep in touch after we're not roommates anymore." He took another swig. "Mostly because of his frat. You've met them- most of them are assholes. And they do this really weird thing with their pledges that involves meatballs. I'll spare you the details."

Lindsay blushed. She couldn't believe she suggested they go there tonight! If only she had known.

"Are there some cool people next door? Or down the hall?" she asked, gesturing around her. Hell, she had seen some seemingly-nice people on the way to the bathroom.

Barry shook his head again. "Um, I'm sure there are, but they probably don't like me right now. It's a long story, but the take-home is this: there was a party on the floor one night, I was super-stressed out about an exam on a _Monday_ of all days, since my teacher was sick and had to cancel class the Friday before, and anyway I confronted the guy throwing the party, since it was getting really obnoxious. He told me to stop being an uptight asshole, and I called the RA and campus police on him and got the party busted." He winced. "That was just a week or so ago. And this is my first semester in this dorm. I don't think it helped my cause."

Shaking her head, Lindsay grabbed the bottle from him, taking another drink. He sounded defeated, his cause lost. "At work?" She gave it one last try.

Barry brightened a bit. "I like those people a lot. But I just met them this summer, so I'm still getting to know them. Plus, it's work, you know? I want to make a good impression. Not go out partying with them and get all wasted and sloppy." He gave Lindsay a sad half-smile.

Lindsay got a sense of déjà vu. This was starting to sound familiar, like when she tried to cheer Nick up after his failed Dimension tryout. She sensed the same feeling of helplessness, but she decided firmly that she was NOT going to attempt to rectify the situation by kissing Barry. In that moment, things felt completely different than they had earlier tonight, she concluded- she felt bad for Barry now more than anything else. And she cared about him, but kissing a guy she cared about just to make him feel better was a recipe for disaster- she of all people would know.

So she took one more stab at it. "Have you thought about joining a Jewish organization?" she asked him finally.

He nodded. "There's a frat. AEPi. I just haven't gotten the best impression of frats living with Jake. But I'm still thinking about it. We'll see." He finally smiled at her.

"Oh, okay, well good," she smiled back, right before taking another mouthful of vodka.

They ended up having a pretty good time hanging out in his room. They drank a little more, and Barry started to play some of his records. They were just drunk enough to be silly and dance around. Turned out, he had a Grateful Dead album and loved it, so that got Lindsay talking nearly nonstop about her summer, stuff that she had been too afraid to say on the phone while she was still at her parents' house, for fear that she would be grounded all over again. They laughed and talked and joked, eventually sitting and then lying on Barry's bed together, and when their eyelids drooped, Lindsay didn't make much of an effort to move and ended up falling asleep on his arm. Nothing happened between them physically, but it was the first time Lindsay had slept in the same bed with a boy (other than Sam when they would occasionally go on vacation and have to share a bed). It felt _nice_. Comforting.

Though it didn't prevent Lindsay from waking up the next morning with a throbbing headache. She was curled on her side. Next to Barry's bed were a garbage can, a roll of paper towels, and a huge plastic cup full of some bright liquid. Barry must have gotten past her sometime during the night. After a tentative sip from the cup she let out a sigh of pleasure. _Gatorade_. She took a long glug. And then another.

On the other side of the bed Barry was still asleep, snoring softly.

Lindsay wondered if it would be possible to get up, get ready, and get out of there without waking him. Not that she didn't want to spend time with him, but after last night's shenanigans, she didn't really know what to think. She remembered everything since she didn't black out- but she was really confused, not knowing what to make of it. She needed to get on the road. It was where she did some of her best thinking.

As Lindsay got up to go to the bathroom to get ready, a bout of nausea hit and she tripped over the strap on her open duffel bag, causing a few of her toiletries to loudly spill out. Barry stirred but didn't wake up. After getting dressed, she slipped quietly out the door. By the time she got to her car, the rest of last evening had come back into focus. Despite her confusion on everything else, Lindsay knew one thing for certain: she wouldn't stop being his friend, because he needed one now more than ever. She drove away with a tear in her eye.


	4. Version 3- Jews and Brews

Author's note: Just an FYI, this was the original "template" that I used, so this was actually the chapter I wrote first. And by the title (and one line in the text) in no way do I mean any offense whatsoever to people of the Jewish faith.

Jews and Brews

The door opened, and Barry stood on the other side, grinning from ear to ear.

"Damn, Lindsay, you just keep getting hotter," he said, appraising her with his big brown eyes. "You look great. It's so good to see you. Come on in," he opened the door wider and gestured for her to come inside.

"Thanks," she replied, feeling shy. She liked the way that Barry looked at her, but it also made her feel a tad self-conscious, especially since she was wearing jeans and a sweater. And her dad's army jacket, of course. It was way too long of a drive to dress up- though she did have something a little nicer to wear in her bag.

As she entered his dorm room, the first thing that struck Lindsay was how _small_ it was- seriously, how could two people spend time in such a tiny enclosed space without killing one another?

"We're not in here together much," Barry said, as if reading her mind. "Jake- my roommate- is in a fraternity. He spends most of his time over at the frat house."

"Oh. Okay. Is- is he staying there tonight?"

Barry looked at her, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah," he said, cheeks flushing a little pink. "I hope that's okay. That way, if you decide to stay here, um, I can take his bed, and you can crash in mine, if you'd like." He indicated that the bed currently closer to them was his.

"Yeah, okay," Lindsay replied. She shrugged, hoping she sounded casual, and plopped her duffel bag on the floor next to Barry's bed. She hadn't bothered to try to find Julie's number this week, and she didn't ask Barry if he had it- the proposed sleeping arrangement sounded fine. She looked at Barry's side a little more closely, trying to gather information about him from the stuff in his dorm room, but he just had the bare essentials- toiletries, books, clothes, a few records- nothing that told her much. Once again, he sensed her curiosity and spoke up.

"I don't see much point in decorating until I get into an apartment," he said, shrugging. "Jake will be moving into the fraternity house next year, and most upperclassmen live off-campus."

Lindsay nodded. "Do you know who you're going to live with yet?"

Barry shrugged. "No, there's a bunch of us that hang out, but we haven't figured it all out yet." He met her eyes and gave her a friendly smile. "So- what do you want to do?"

Lindsay fought herself from running her tongue over her teeth- she knew what she wanted to do, and that was to kiss him. Barry looked good- he wore jeans and a sweater like she did but he wore a collared shirt underneath and his hair was styled really nicely so he actually looked significantly more dressed up than she did. But there was no way she was going to start out the evening with kissing as things would only go south from there.

"Well-," she hesitated a moment, hating to have to bring this up, but "I told my parents that I was going to look at colleges, and I don't want to totally lie to them-"

"You want to see the campus?" Barry interjected gently.

Lindsay nodded, relieved. "Sorry if that's really lame."

Barry shook his head. "Are you crazy? Not at all. The campus here is beautiful, and there's a lot to see. I told you, I love this college. I'd be happy to show you around. Need to use the bathroom or anything before we go?"

"Nah, I'm all right," Lindsay responded, grabbing her purse and walking out of the room with Barry. She watched him as he locked the door to his room, suddenly envious of his independence, his ability to come and go whenever he pleased.

They set off on a walk, with Barry playing the role of tour guide, talking nonstop with a mix of the history of the school, his own experiences, and things he'd heard from his friends. He gestured excitedly as they passed each building- the Museum of Art, the Library, the Student Union.

The lake the campus sits on was quickly coming into view, though it took them several more minutes to approach the path near the edge. When they finally did, Lindsay sighed deeply, all of the tension from home and her drive there rolling off of her shoulders. Being near the water seemed to have that effect on her. When she glanced over at Barry, he was looking at her and smiling.

"Lake Mendota is pretty amazing, huh? I like to come out here when I need to think. A little quieter than usual today. The football game is still on, so I'm sure everyone's inside watching. The team is away this week."

She nodded, completely at peace, not needing to say anything. They began to walk.

Just as she was getting in stride, she suddenly felt the warmth of Barry's hand grasp hers. She let out an initial gasp of surprise, but it was a nice feeling, so she didn't let go.

They continued to walk at a leisurely pace, talking about school and politics and music. The sun shone warm on their faces. Birds chirped and they passed a few students, though it seemed eerily quiet for a college campus in autumn. Some trees eventually appeared on their left. When Lindsay asked what was in there, Barry told her they were the Muir woods and started pulling her towards them, telling her how incredible they were and how this was one of his favorite places to study on a nice day. After just a couple of minutes of walking, they found themselves in a wonderfully isolated little patch of forest.

As soon as Lindsay turned to face him, Barry leaned forward and kissed her, with the urgency of someone who hadn't kissed her in over five months and really wanted to would have. His lips felt hot on her mouth. _Wow_. She kissed him back.

He pulled away after a minute, grabbing her hand again, immediately starting to tug her out of the woods, back the way they came. "Sorry," he grinned at her, "I've been thinking about that ever since my dad's party. I had to try to get it out of my system, I suppose."

"Did it work?" Lindsay asked, a little breathlessly. Barry could kiss.

"Not even remotely," he joked, smiling again. They continued their walk. "But that's okay. Did you want to see the stadium? It's kind of out of the way."

Lindsay shrugged. She'd never been a huge football fan. "Nah, that's okay."

"All right. You must be getting hungry though."

He had her there. Aside from some gas station snacks, she hadn't eaten since breakfast. "Actually, yeah, I'm starving."

He brightened. "Great. So how about we walk back to the dorm? You can change if you'd like and we can get ready for this evening. There's a place I had in mind to take you for dinner, and after that, if you're up to it, we can meet up with my friends."

"So, wait," Lindsay interjected, "You're taking me out to eat? We're not just going to the dining hall or something?"

"Well, we can if you want," Barry replied with a grin, "but as good as dining hall Sloppy Joes are, I had something a little nicer in mind- I made reservations. Do you like Italian? If not, we could always go somewhere else- though since it's a Saturday we might be waiting a while."

Italian sounded fine to her. After a quick stop in his dorm, Barry took her to a place overlooking the lake (apparently, a different lake). It was somehow casual and fancy at the same time and dinner was fabulous- they'd split a pizza and salad. It felt like an actual date, which was something Lindsay wasn't used to at all. Since Barry had even broken out a bottle of wine in the car and they'd each had a cup as they were getting ready to go into the restaurant, Lindsay was already starting to feel warmth spread across her cheeks from the alcohol. The conversation was flowing freely; both of them were growing more and more animated as they recounted stories of their youth.

"And remember that time when my mom made us go trick-or-treating together as The _Brady Bunch_?" Lindsay exclaimed, a little louder than she normally would have perhaps. She'd never really drunk wine before and was a little startled by the effect that it had on her. Nothing like when she drank beer with the gang. "She bought Sam and me the most awful blonde wigs. And I thought I was going to die when I saw Sam dressed up as Cindy."

"My parents never had to make me do anything when it came to seeing you," Barry replied, causing Lindsay to blush, "Though the Peter Brady bowl cut my mom gave me for the occasion _was_ pretty horrible."

"But you looked cute!" Lindsay said. "I thought you did, anyway." Without thinking she muttered under her breath, _still do_. She was certain that Barry read her lips because he broke out into another grin.

Their flirtatious banter continued all throughout dinner. She had always liked Barry, just never realized that he would ever want anything to do with her, being three years older and all. The familiarity, the comfort of hanging out with someone that she'd known for so long- combined with the excitement and anticipation of being out with someone she liked as more than a friend- this was reading like a perfect first date.

When the check came, she made an offer to pay her share, but Barry wouldn't hear of it. He'd been working part-time over the summer, he'd said, in what started out as a brief internship but ended up as a part-time job at a law firm. It was grunt work, he'd explained, saying that he did little more than run errands, fetch coffee, and organize files- but he was finding out more about law, meeting people, and making money at the same time, which had been motivating, both for his career and for his wallet.

As they were getting ready to leave Barry came over to her side of the table and reached his hand out to help her up. She obliged and after she got to her feet he didn't let go of her hand, just held it as they walked out of the restaurant.

Lindsay was wondering if Barry was going to kiss her again when they got to the car, what he was going to suggest they do next.

She didn't have long to wait. Barry spoke up as they were walking.

"So- Jake's frat is having a party tonight, and some of my other friends are going to be there," he explained. "Would- would you like to go? It's up to you. If not, we could just go back to the dorm and watch TV, or catch a movie or something."

Lindsay was torn. On one hand, she liked the idea of going back to the dorm and spending time alone with Barry. On the other, it scared her a little. But ultimately, what won out was her sheer curiosity to meet Barry's friends. She was interested to see what his life was like up here.

"Sure, we can go," she replied casually.

"Great," Barry replied. "We can just head straight there if you're ready?"

Lindsay nodded, and Barry opened the car door for her. As she eased inside, she briefly wondered if he was okay to drive. She ended up voicing her concerns out loud.

"Oh, I'm fine, but thanks for asking," he said. "I only had a glass and I had a lot to eat, as you could tell," he rubbed his stomach as he said it. It was true- Barry had eaten far more than she did. And he did have a higher tolerance, she supposed. "Besides, thankfully we don't have to drive far around here."

Barry was right- they reached the fraternity after just a couple of minutes.

They ended up parking a few blocks away since there wasn't anything closer. As they walked toward the fraternity, Barry briefly slipped his hand around her waist. "I can't wait to show you off to my friends," he whispered in her ear. It left Lindsay's spine tingling.

When they arrived, there was actually a pretty big line. "Ah, September. The parties are pretty huge this time of year," he lamented. However, Barry knew the two guys at the door, so they were able to walk straight up to them.

"Hey Brad, Patrick. This is Lindsay," Barry said by way of introduction. One of them whistled.

"This the jailbait you've been talking about nonstop, Schweiber?" he asked.

Barry tried to glare at him, but he was blushing, so it wasn't particularly effective. "Jake around?" was all he said instead.

The other one, Brad or Patrick, smiled. "Yeah, he's upstairs hanging out with Drew and Kyle. Go on up; I know he's expecting you guys."

Barry nodded. "All right, man, thanks. Hey- did we end up winning today? We were tied in the second quarter."

Brad or Patrick responded enthusiastically. "Hell, yeah, man! We crushed them; didn't you hear? What were you _doing_?" As Brad or Patrick glanced at Lindsay again, a devilish grin appeared on their face. "Never mind."

Barry apologized as soon as they were in the house and out of earshot. "These guys will say anything to give me a hard time," he said, "It doesn't have anything to do with you. But I'm sorry anyway."

"Oh, it's okay," Lindsay replied. She wasn't easily offended. And she had to admit, she was flattered if Barry talked about her as much as Brad or Patrick indicated he did.

They headed up the stairs and down the hallway into a large room where several guys and a few girls were sitting, pouring shots from colored bottles of liquor into an array of shot glasses. As soon as they entered, a friendly-looking guy hopped up to say hello.

"Lindsay, right?" he smiled at her. He definitely lacked the cockiness, the ego that the older guys at the front door had perfected. "Barry's told me so much about you. I'm Jake." He extended his hand to her.

Lindsay reached out and shook it, smiling. "Nice to meet you." She fought a blush herself as she spoke next. "Um- thanks for lending Barry your bed tonight so I can crash there," she muttered. She was staring at the floor by the time she was done, embarrassed.

"Not a problem- I'm here most nights anyways." She looked back up. Jake was smiling again. "Besides, I'd do anything for this guy," he said, throwing his arm around Barry's shoulders. But Lindsay definitely didn't miss the wink that Jake gave him as he said it.

They all sat down then, and Lindsay was introduced to the rest of the guys- Drew and Kyle, who seemed like they were Barry's closest friends, and a bunch of other people whose names she was certain she would forget. A couple of the girls were girlfriends of brothers, but two were there for the first time, so Lindsay felt as though she was in good company. They all laughed and chatted as music played in the background and they continued to occasionally pour and take shots.

Barry leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Have fun. I've left the car here before; we're close enough to walk home. It'll take a while, but that's okay."

Lindsay nodded and whispered back. "Okay, sounds perfect." She didn't have to leave early in the morning. And this was a college party. She wanted to have a good time, and she didn't know anyone but Barry. Alcohol was definitely in order.

So they sat and drank- well, Lindsay did anyway. She noticed that Barry was only drinking a little. After three shots, Barry wouldn't let her take another- "They haven't fully hit you yet, and you'll regret it if you do any more," he warned- plus they were told the party downstairs was picking up and that the frat brothers were starting a house-wide beer pong competition.

"Beer pong?" Lindsay asked.

Barry nodded. "It's a fun game. Don't worry, we'll be on a team together, I'll show you what to do."

They headed down to the basement, which was the polar opposite from where they had just come. Instead of the mellow Floyd softly playing in the background the basement was blasting with hard rock and even some disco. Rather than good-tasting liquor, like the Goldschlager she had tried, there was nothing but the cheapest possible beer from a can- just like her friends back in Chippewa drank. Suddenly, she felt just a bit nostalgic for her old crowd. She smiled wistfully.

But she quickly got over it. Beer pong tables were being set up, and Lindsay had never seen anything like this game before. As they watched the first few rounds, Barry started explaining the rules.

"And if you make both shots, then you can 'bring them back' and take another turn," he was saying, and though it sounded fun, Lindsay was only half paying attention. The shots that she had taken, on top of the wine, were really starting to affect her. Everything seemed to be slowing down. And as Barry was talking to her he had to lean close so that she could hear him over the loud music- so his lips and tongue were dangerously close to her ear.

Before long, a table had freed up, and after Barry made sure that Lindsay still wanted to play (to which Lindsay replied with a resounding YES!), they took their places at the end.

Barry knew their opponents so he introduced Lindsay to them, though Lindsay forgot their names the moment they were spoken. Barry let Lindsay toss first. The ping-pong ball hit a good foot away from the red plastic cup, practically off of the table.

"Good try, Lindsay," Barry said, though it was a white lie. "You'll get it next time." That lie was even more blatant. Her reflexes were starting to deteriorate a bit, and she certainly didn't foresee her coordination improving.

Barry made his shot, but since Lindsay missed hers the ping pong balls went to the team of frat brothers. This was a mistake.

Having had gobs of practice, the two guys won, sinking both cups three rounds in a row. Lindsay tried to drink her half but was starting to feel really buzzed, and thankfully Barry stopped her. He drank a couple himself but left the rest on the table.

"C'mon Lindsay, maybe we should go," he told her gently. "Let's walk; it'll be good for you."

Lindsay was embarrassed; they couldn't have been at the party for more than an hour or two. But on the other hand she really was feeling drunk, and figured the walk outside would do her some good. She nodded, defeated. "Okay."

Barry put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, no need to feel embarrassed. You're not used to all this stuff yet. Don't worry, if you go away to college you definitely will get plenty of practice, if you choose." He led her out the door of the frat and they started to walk home.

The walk truly did do her some good- the air was already crisp, and she felt like she woke up a bit on the trek to Barry's dorm (it felt like forever but apparently was about two miles). But the alcohol was still hitting her hard; she felt really different and strange and tired and wonderful.

She really had to pee, so when they got back to Barry's she asked where she could go to the bathroom; since it was a coed dorm he directed her right down the hall. She brought her bag in with her so that she could change and brush her teeth. She had brought sleep shorts and two different tops from home- one frumpy-ish t-shirt that was super comfortable, and one tight low-cut camisole that wasn't as comfortable but in which she knew she looked damn good. Holding both in front of the mirror of the girls' bathroom, Lindsay opted for the latter.

As she entered Barry's dorm room, he had already changed into boxer shorts and a t-shirt, and was lying on Jake's bed. When Lindsay reemerged in the room, Barry's eyes widened and his jaw dropped a little as he looked at her. But he recovered quickly.

"So, Lindsay, can I give you one of my shirts to sleep in?" he suggested, trying to sound casual but not succeeding. "It might be more comfortable for you." He gulped, getting up to move towards his dresser.

It was then Lindsay realized that Barry was nervous. And thanks to her good friend alcohol, she wasn't nervous at all. She walked right up to him while he was at his dresser, turned him around, and kissed him on the lips. They seemed to melt into each other (and into the dresser) for the few seconds while their lips were locked. But all too soon, Barry pulled away.

"I've been thinking about that ever since the last one," she told him. Lindsay had enough wits about her to remember what Barry had told her after he kissed her a few hours ago.

Barry was taking measured deep breaths, in and out. "Damn. You need to stop kissing me and put some more clothes on," Barry was making it a point not to look directly at her.

She looked good and she knew it. She gently ran her fingertips over his bottom lip. Her inhibitions had flown out the window with her sobriety. "Why? I thought you'd like the way I look in this. That's why I brought it. Just like when I wore that dress to your dad's party." She realized that she had no mental filter at this point but didn't care enough to shut up.

He met her gaze, his eyes dilated and intense. "I love the way you look in it. Too much, in fact."

"Why, too much? Is that a bad thing?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, it is, Lindsay. You're sixteen. And drunk."

"I'm almost seventeen," Lindsay broke in. But since the words were slurred, she only reinforced his second point.

He took in a breath. "Right. Which is still below eighteen. And drunk."

"So?"

"So….I'm not going to take advantage of you. You're far too amazing and you don't deserve that."

"_Bar_-ry," Lindsay slurred before planting another kiss on his lips. Pulling away, she added, "Does it really _look_ like you're taking advantage of me?"

For just a minute, Barry responded to her advances. He started kissing Lindsay back fervently, wrapping his arms around her, hands exploring her back. Lindsay leaned into him and he slowly walked her across the room, guiding her backwards. Lindsay kept kissing him as he gently laid her down on his bed, lifting her slightly to brace her landing. Smiling, she pulled him by his shirt so that he was closer to her as they kissed, moving his body flush against hers.

But just as quickly, Barry stopped and rolled off of her and onto his elbow. "Lindsay- I can't do this with you- not tonight. I _want_ to, believe me, it's just- if we ever do go out, I'd want stuff like this to be really….special. Or at least, I'd want you to remember it." He smiled at her wistfully.

Lindsay was disappointed, but she couldn't really argue. Lying on the bed swiftly made her realize that the room was spinning. All of a sudden she didn't feel so hot. "Okay," she said reluctantly. "But- can you do me a favor? Can you get the other T-shirt out of my bag? The Grateful Dead one? I'm feeling a little nauseous, and I'm not sure I want to get up…."

"Sure, are you okay?" he responded, unzipping her bag and rummaging around it for a few seconds until he found her slightly frumpy but soft and super comfy tie-dyed t-shirt. He tossed it to her.

Lindsay nodded, but only slightly so as not to disrupt her equilibrium even more. She decided that she needed get as comfortable as possible, while moving as little as possible. The tight camisole had to go before she put on her other shirt, and she was too clumsy to try to coordinate the simultaneous shirt application and removal. _To hell with it_, she thought, and while still lying down she peeled off the camisole before putting her t-shirt back on. She wasn't wearing a bra. Barry still had a dumbstruck look on his face when she passed out a few minutes later.

Lindsay woke up to a throbbing headache. She was curled on her side. Next to Barry's bed was a garbage can, a roll of paper towels, and a huge plastic cup full of some bright liquid. For a split second, she was reminded of the liquor from last night and a wave of nausea washed over her. But after a tentative sip she let out a sigh of pleasure. _Gatorade_. She took a long glug. And then another.

Across the room, Barry was still asleep on Jake's bed, snoring softly.

Lindsay wondered if it would be possible to get up, get ready, and get out of there without waking Barry. Not that she didn't want to spend time with him, but after last night's shenanigans, she was absolutely mortified. She remembered everything since she didn't black out (at least she didn't think that she did), but that was almost worse. Lindsay cringed as she thought of practically accosting Barry at his dresser. And she let him see her breasts! Ugh, how embarrassing.

No such luck. As Lindsay got up to go to the bathroom, another bout of nausea hit and she tripped over the strap on her open duffel bag, causing a few of her toiletries to loudly spill out. Barry stirred.

"Morning, sunshine," he mumbled, opening a sleepy eye to take in Lindsay's hungover form. "Are you feeling okay?" His voice was laced with concern.

"Physically? I'm all right. Typical hangover stuff, I guess. Emotionally? Scarred for life," Lindsay joked. She glanced downward, avoiding his gaze. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" Barry asked, waking up a bit. "There's absolutely no need. You didn't do anything wrong. We went out and you had fun. End of story."

"Well, not exactly," Lindsay said shyly, recalling that the night didn't end when they got back to Barry's room. "But thanks."

"You know what you need?"

"What?" Lindsay was afraid to ask.

"Well, believe it or not, a little hair of the dog, a Bloody Mary maybe," Barry began, sitting up in bed. "And water. And coffee. And a scrambler from Marigold Kitchen. Trust me, it's the best hangover food around. What do you say?"

"You want to take me out to eat again?" Lindsay couldn't believe that Barry wasn't shooing her out the door after the way that she behaved last night. But then again, she should have known better.

"Sure," Barry replied. "I'm not ready for you to go just yet."

So they spent the next two hours chatting as Lindsay got ready, and as she packed up her duffel and loaded the car, and as Barry drove them to the restaurant, and as they split a Bloody Mary and ordered scramblers of the day with extra home fries and large coffees, and as they ate and drank until it seemed that every last droplet of alcohol had been soaked up by the food, and as once again Barry picked up the check, and then as he drove Lindsay back to the parking lot near her car.

"Thanks for everything, Barry, I mean it," Lindsay said as she began to open the passenger's side door. "Despite everything I- um, had a great time," other than her sheer embarrassment, she really did.

"You need to come and visit me again sometime," he said, jokingly adding, "We'll work on that tolerance of yours."

Lindsay laughed.

Barry was all of a sudden serious. "I mean it, though. This was awesome. It doesn't matter that I'm in college and you're in high school- I just- it doesn't change how much I love spending time with you."

Lindsay met his eyes. "Yeah, it was- I do, too. It's- I just-" she tried to put into words how cool he was being when she acted like such a drunk idiot. "Thanks for being such a gentleman," she finally got out.

"I don't know if I'm _that_ much of a gentleman," he replied with a little glint in his eye, "All I can think about right now is kissing you."

He leaned in and kissed her, a sweet kiss that didn't last quite long enough. He tasted like bacon. Some Jew. She could also still taste alcohol, though she thought it was more likely from her breath than his.

As he pulled away, Barry was red-cheeked.

"Well- um- and also- how _fantastic_ your breasts are," he added quietly, as though he were expecting Lindsay to hit him.

Sure enough, their last touch was a playful slap from Lindsay before she got in her car. She drove away blushing.


End file.
